Tamper-indicating closure

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a closure for the pouring spout of a container, the closure comprising a closure cap ( 1 ) screwed onto the pouring spout ( 2 ) and comprising a tamper-indicating part ( 7 ) that, on unscrewing of the cap, bends away or breaks off or away when the closure cap ( 1 ) is unscrewed such that the tamper-indicating part ( 7 ) changes position relative to the closure cap ( 1 ), the outer surface of the tamper-indicating part ( 7 ) carrying information ( 8, 9 ) that is visible as long as the closure is in its unopened and intact condition and is no longer visible once the closure has been opened and the tamper-indicating part ( 7 ) has changed position.

The invention relates to a closure for the pour spout of a container, the closure comprising a closure cap screwed onto the pour spout and comprising a tamper-indicating part attached in particular at the closure cap that tamper-indicating part bends away or breaks off or away when the closure cap is unscrewed, whereby the tamper-indicating part changes its position relative to the closure cap.

Such a closure is known from DE 10 2013 004 466 A1. When the closure cap is first opened, one end of the tamper-indicating changed position is pressed inside, thereby indicating that the closure has already been opened before. This change in the position of the tamper-indicating part is not very conspicuous so that it can be easily overlooked.

It is an object of the invention to improve a closure of the kind first mentioned above in such a way that a conspicuous and readily understood information signaling the original intact condition of the closure can be provided with a simple and highly reliable design.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that an outer surface of the tamper-indicating part carries information is located that is visible as long as the closure is in its unopened and intact condition and that is no longer visible once the closure has been opened and the tamper-indicating part has changed position.

Alternatively, this object is achieved according to the invention in that an outer surface of the tamper-indicating part carries information that continues on the outer surface of the closure cap as long as the closure is in its unopened and intact condition, and in that the information on the outer surface of the tamper-indicating part is positioned at a spacing from the information on the outer surface of the closure cap and/or is no longer legible once the closure has been opened and the tamper-indicating part has changed position.

Such an embodiment has the essential benefit that not only the change in the position of the tamper-indicating part indicates the condition of the closure but that a part of the information is located on the tamper-indicating part so that the information changes conspicuously once the tamper-indicating part has been moved. With this, the user can readily see whether the closure is still in its unopened condition or has already been opened before.

Preferably, it is proposed that the tamper-indicating part formed as a strip whose one end is inseparably attached to the closure cap in particular with a hinge joint and whose opposite end can be separated when the closure cap is unscrewed whereby it and the information appearing thereon are moved away from that part of the outer surface of that part of the closure cap's edge that bears part of the information.

It is particularly advantageous when the pieces of information on the tamper-indicating part and on the closure cap together form a meaning that changes once the movable section of the tamper-indicating part has been removed or bent away. In one embodiment, the word “not” may appear on the movable section of the tamper-indicating part and the word “open” or “opened” may appear on the closure cap. As an alternative, the word “not” may appear on the closure cap and the word “open” or “opened” may appear on the movable section of the tamper-indicating part.

Preferably, it is proposed that the information is formed by a pictograph, one part of which is located on the tamper-indicating part and another part of which is located on the closure cap.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the figures and described in more detail below.

FIG. 1 shows the closure in its not yet opened condition.

FIG. 2 shows the closure once it has been opened.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged detail while the closure is being opened, and

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 2.

The closure according to the invention can be used for various types of containers. In this embodiment, the pour spout 2 that can be closed with a closure cap 1 has a thread onto which the closure cap 1 having a screwthread can be screwed. At its bottom end, the cylindrical pour spout 2 has an integrally molded part 3 whose exterior is shaped like a weaving shuttle with two convex outside edges tapering toward both ends. These outside edges facilitate welding of the part 3 between the walls of a pouch. Instead of a weld-in part, a container may also be integrally molded with the pour spout 2.

The outer surface of the closure cap 1 either has two diametrically opposite projecting wings or is provided with ribs to facilitate gripping. The closure cap 1 is downwardly open and has around its bottom end a cylindrical or annular edge strip 5 that is formed with a rectangular window 6 on each of the two diametrically opposite ends. One end of a strip-shaped tamper-indicating part 7 is attached, in particular integrally molded or attached with a hinge joint to a vertical edge of each window 6. The other end of the strip-shaped tamper-indicating part is connected with the cap edge strip 5 at the window edge on the other end only by one or two break-away webs.

Near its end that is only attached by break-away webs, the changed strip-shaped tamper-indicating part 7 has a projection, and when the cap is unscrewed, the projection contacts a dog, not shown in the figures, which projects radially from the pour spout 2 so that in the unscrewing process, this end of the tamper-indicating part is pushed outward so that the break-away webs rupture.

The outer surface of the changed strip-shaped tamper-indicating part bears a piece of information 8, in particular a word, that in the not yet opened and thus original condition of the closure continues as a piece of information 9, in particular again a word, on the outer surface of the closure cap. The pieces of information on the tamper-indicating part 7 and on the closure cap 1 together form a meaning that changes once the movable section of the tamper-indicating part 7 has been removed.

It is particular advantageous when a piece of information signaling the opening status is only located on the outer surface of the tamper-indicating part and is visible when the closure is in its unopened, intact condition and is no longer visible once the closure has been opened and the tamper-indicating part 7 has changed position.

The information on the changed strip-shaped tamper-indicating part and continuing on the outer surface of the closure cap may consist of graphical or colored components. It is particularly advantageous when this information 8, 9 consists of words, wherein the word “not” appears on the movable section of the tamper-indicating part 7 and the word “open” or “opened” appears on the closure cap 1. As alternative, the word “not” may appear on the closure cap 1 and the word “open” or “opened” may appear on the movable section of the tamper-indicating part 7.

Using words has the advantage that by separating the two words from one another (because one end of the changed strip-shaped tamper-indicating part changes its position), the meaning of the information 8, 9 changes. The user experiences that in the original intact condition, the two pieces of information 8, 9 and/or words stand next to one another and that after the first opening, the tamper-indicating changed position has moved away with one end and the piece of information 8 (or completely) from the other piece of information 9 on the cap edge strip 5 and thereby clearly signals that the closure has already been opened.

Instead of words, the information may also be formed by a pictograph partly on the tamper-indicating part and partly on the closure cap. 

1-8. (canceled)
 9. A closure for the pour spout of a container, the closure comprising: a cap screwed on the pour spout; a tamper-indicating part carried on the cap and that, on unscrewing of the cap, bends away or breaks off or away so as to change position relative to the cap; and a word or pictograph carried on an outer surface of the tamper-indicating part and visible as long as the closure is in its unopened and intact condition and that is no longer visible once the closure has been opened and the tamper-indicating part has changed position.
 10. A closure for the pour spout of a container, the closure comprising: a cap screwed on the pour spout a tamper-indicating part carried on the cap and that, on unscrewing of the cap, bends away or breaks off or away so as to change position relative to the cap; and a word or pictograph carried on an surface of the tamper-indicating part that continues on the outer surface of the cap as long as the closure is in its unopened and intact condition, the word or pictograph on the outer surface of the tamper-indicating part being positioned at a spacing from the word or pictograph on the outer surface of the cap and/or is no longer legible once the closure has been opened and the tamper-indicating part has changed position.
 11. The closure according to claim 10, wherein the tamper-indicating part is a strip whose one end is inseparably attached to the cap at a hinge and whose opposite end can be separated when the cap is unscrewed such that it and the word or pictograph appearing thereon are moved away from that part of the outer surface of the cap edge strip that bears part of the word or pictograph.
 12. The closure according to claim 11, wherein the cap is downwardly open and has a cap edge strip that is formed with a window on each of two diametrically opposite ends.
 13. The closure according to claim 12, wherein one end of the strip-shaped tamper-indicating part is integrally molded or attached with a hinge joint at a vertical edge of each window.
 14. The closure according to claim 10, wherein the word or pictograph on the tamper-indicating part and the cap together form a meaning that changes once the movable section of the tamper-indicating part has been removed or bent away.
 15. The closure according to claim 10, wherein the word “not” appears on the movable section of the tamper-indicating part and the word “open” or “opened” appears on the cap.
 16. The closure according claim 10, wherein the word “not” appears on the cap and the word “open” or “opened” appears on the movable section of the tamper-indicating part. 